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Stephanie Miner resigns as co-chair of NY Dem Party

Mayor Miner's 2014 State of the City Address

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner today resigned as the co-chair of the state's Democratic Party. Here, she's giving her 2014 State of the City Address in the gymnasium of St. Patrick's Loft on North Lowell Street in January.
(Stephen D. Cannerelli)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner today resigned as co-chair of the state's Democratic Party, saying that she enjoyed her time but wanted "to give someone else a chance" after two years.

Miner, who is in her second term as mayor, said she called Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office today to notify him. Cuomo had selected her as co-chair to head the party nearly two years ago. Miner said she did not speak with Cuomo and declined to say to whom she delivered the news.

Miner said she was not asked to step down. She said she first began thinking about resigning about a month ago.

"This is my decision," she said this afternoon.

In this March 16, 2012 file photo, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner talk during a bill signing ceremony in the Red Room at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)

"I really enjoyed the people that I got to work with and the candidates, pushing for the progressive values of my party," she said when asked about the pros of the job.

The cons? Serving as co-chair took "a significant amount of time," she said.

Miner does not plan to attend next month's Democratic Party state convention. She's said she's agreed to speak at a conference in Boston the same day. That scheduling conflict is one of the reasons she began thinking about resigning, she said today.

Miner submitted a letter of resignation today to the party and made calls to party leadership. She said she had not spoken to her former co-chair, Assemblyman Keith Wright, D-Harlem.

The mayor said she would continue to campaign for Democratic candidates this year, when all state offices are up for election. She also said she would campaign for Cuomo, if asked.